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story
destinyland writes
"University professor and artist Steve Kurtz publicizes the history of chemical weapons with performance art pieces. The day his wife died of a heart attack, 911 responders mistook his scientific equipment for bioterrorism supplies. After he was detained for 22 hours, Homeland Security cordoned off his block, and a search was performed on his house in hazmat suits, they found nothing. Now they're prosecuting him for "mail fraud" for the way he obtained $256 of harmless bacteria."
304103
submission
neapolitan writes:
Parts of the Patriot Act have been ruled unconstitutional. This is in response to the FBI wrongly spying on an attorney, with subsequent legal action and criticism of the law that allowed the incorrect surveillance. The summary judgment of Justice Aiken is available.
From the text:
Aiken ruled that FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act], as amended by the Patriot Act, permits the government to conduct surveillance and searches targeting Americans without satisfying the probable-cause standard in the Fourth Amendment.
"Prior to the amendments [to FISA], the three branches of government operated with thoughtful and deliberate checks and balances — a principle upon which our nation was founded," Aiken wrote.
But the Patriot Act, she said, eliminated "the constitutionally required interplay between executive action, judicial decision and Congressional enactment."